Japanese curry!

When we say curry, it is an Indian food. Yes, it is originally from India while it has spread out all over the Asia region to make each of them being a localised dish.

Travelling few thousand miles away from India, it becomes like this:)
 

In Japan, it becomes a very popular dish among kids and young people.
There are even specialised restaurants which only serve this type of curries.

People usually cook this with a so called 'Curry Roux' a pre-made solid curry mixture made of spices, flour, and stock.
Varieties of those are widely available in Japan not only the curry mixture but also Hayashi-Rice - A sort of red colour beef stroganoff;), 'Stew' (in Japanese definition is different to those being recognised in other countries).

I have made this curry with some spices with bay leaves, galam masala, ground coriander, turmeric, mixed spice, etc. at my choice of my mood on the day;), together with perhaps half amount of the 'curry roux'.

For meat,  I use chicken or pork, always with bones as it adds definitely a good flavours.
And onions, carrots, celery stalks, potatoes, mushrooms are used for basic vegetable ingredients.

Please feel free to ask me for more information how to make this curry!
Many thanks for reading again!







 

Japanese food!

By viewing my blog, people probably can not recognize where I am from unless they read well my writing (with a broken English;))
I am originally from Japan, being raised there till being a grown up.
I love my country, miss a lot sometimes not only the food there but also a clear, more clear than elswhere transitional four seasons, the people, the accuracy for everything;), etc...

And so here is something that I can introduce as a recognised Japanese food.
I would not say it is 'authentic' Japanese food as I believe that it has been created in California - the California roll while the basic skill of rolling sushi is of authentic Japanese thing.

I have been doing this california roll (and other sushi) making lessons, mainly in vicinity of London, and occasionally, Brussels.
Please contact kitchen.momiji@gmail.com for further information.

My favourite pub

How long I have not been to this fabulous pub... just because it is not possible to visit there with public transport, it is far out of London, in a mid of nowhere;)

This visit assures me of nominating a best bub in the UK!
Dishes are now even better when compared to several years ago.

I used to visit there often when I was living in the vicinity in Hertfordshire, just a bit North of M25.
It was in Tuesday afternoon, the TUESDAY lunch time and the place is still packed with local people, I would have to repeat that it can only be reached after driving very narrow roads of countryside, no buildings are around and the forest of Ashridge is just ahead, and still people are coming to eat and drink!

When in a pub in a country side, we have to start with a local ales...
The guy at the bar counter kindly let us try those three ales, and,

I have chosen this,

and then, a Scotch egg to start the lunch.

It was unexpectedly a cold dish, anyways, a perfect match between sour pickled veggies and the Scotch egg with a nice presentation of the plate.

I picked: slow roasted breast of lamb (unfamiliar with a naming of the part 'breast' of lamb), ummm, yammy! everything is just perfectly cooked! Veggies are the real ones..

My friend picked pheasant,

This was also just superb, poultry dishes are often cooked dry, but not with this place.

Regrettably, the photo of dessert is missing while I have enjoyed also a rather tasting sophisticated (more smooth and less sugary) banana sticky toffee pudding.

Such a wonderful Tuesday afternoon I have had with nice weather:)

Bordeaux wine tasting

Again! I come back for wines!
Been to Bordeaux 2001 tasting which as it all shows in the title, seven Bordeaux reds from seven different regions (St=Estephe, Pouillac, St. Julian, Margaux, Pessacx-Leognan, St=Emilion, Pomerol), but still vintage with 2001.
2000 is known for great Bordeaux year while 2001 is 'cute' according to the organiser of this tasting event.

Those I have tasted are:

1. Chateau Picard (St=Estephe),
2. Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste (Pauillac)
3. Sarget de Gruaud-Larose (St. Julian)
4. Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux)
5. Chateau Haut-Bailly (Pessacx-Leognan)
6. Chateau Belair (St=Emilion)
7. Chateau Rouget (Pomerol)

We did blind at the beginning and I only did correct for 1, 4 and 5 ;)

1 is a cheap option (retail price at GBP14.99) and that's why it has been easily recognised, I would have to say it is not worth buying...
2,5,6 are wines that I would choose as good wines, while my favourite is still Margaux as a region.

Among those 7 is extraordinary different, with strong mushroom, leather, animal like nose that nobody has raised hand as a favourite (as well as 1);)

Once again, I did study a bit more about Bordeaux wines and are fascinated a bit more... I like those new world wines as well as the old world, while French wines are really the basic yet classy which other part of world can not copy!!! Love that!!!